'Obesity Gene' May Not Be Tied to Body Weight

A popular obesity gene may have little to do with fat after all. In a report published in this week’s issue of Nature, scientists argue that the FTO gene, discovered back in 2007 and the focus of hundreds of studies since then, exerts its effects through an entirely different gene called IRX3. And it’s IRX3 that’s actually affecting body weight. If it holds up, the discovery could help explain some of FTO’s enduring mysteries and inconsistencies about how exactly it’s working. A National Geographic story here offers up more details.